Back to the drawing board

I hate the first early run of the week. I haven't been doing this long, but I hated it last week too. My pace was pretty decent considering I didn't feel like moving. I wasn't tired. Just lazy, I guess. Well, at least my outfit was cute. Pink shirt, hot pink skirt with pink shorties underneath, grey and hot pink Adidas. No pictures though. So I was halfway thinking about riding my bike to the track instead of driving. Maybe another time though. I really wanted the comfort of my car. Hmm, maybe riding to the track will loosen me up a bit in the morning. I may have to get up a bit earlier for all that though. Not sure I'm willing to get up any earlier than 4:30am. In other news, I haven't heard back from the Y on swim lessons yet. But I do have a friend who was a lifeguard and is willing to teach me. He has a pretty busy schedule, so we'll just have to see if he can pencil me in. Also, I signed up for yoga on Wednesday nights. I'm kind of excited and kind of nervous. I've done yoga dvds and all, but I'm sure my downward facing dog is all tore up. And I could use a live person to tell me exactly what I'm doing wrong and how to make it right. Okay, so around this time, I usually start to get tired. And I'm not. I feel like I'm full of energy. I'm gonna read my book and take some valerian root or something. I do need to get to bed at a decent hour so I can do this all over again tomorrow. I've got 5 miles on tap. And I don't want my body to hate me for waking it up unrested. Not a good way to start a run. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 06/30/09 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 04:58 AM Difficulty: 1.7 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 63 F temp; 89% humidity 63 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 4.00 miles Time: 0:36:33 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 08 /mi Calories: 440 Notes Cool Down = .27mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 32 +0' 24 6.3 -0.3 0 ft 2 9' 14 +0' 06 6.5 -0.1 0 ft 3 9' 05 -0' 03 6.6 +0.0 0 ft end 8' 42 -0' 26 6.8 +0.3 0 ft Versus average of 9' 08 min/mile

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I couldn't do it

I just couldn't get up. When my alarm rang at 4:30am, my thought was, you've got to be kidding me. It didn't help that a few minutes before, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom. So while dozing off my alarm rings. Yeah, not happening. I was still tired. I should have gone to bed a lot earlier. Finally, I woke up at 6:15am. Still pretty damn early. But I didn't get out until about 7am. I had to get my stomach together first. Alright, so I get out there and it takes a while for me to get it together. My breathing wasn't right until about mile 3 or so. But the humidity was taking a toll on me. I just wasn't feeling it. So with that, I stopped at 5 miles, instead of going for 7. Now, I'm sorta kinda thinking about going to the Y for a swim later. Actually, I want to take swimming lessons at some point. My swimming skills are all tore up. I've never had formal training. It's never too late, right? So right now, I'm sipping on a berry smoothie. I'm thinking I may take a nap, then do the Y thing. We'll see. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -62 ft Date: 06/28/09 Up/Downhill: [+200/-262] Time: 06:58 AM Difficulty: 2.2 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 66 F temp; 83% humidity 66 F heat index; winds N 5 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:47:19 Speed: 6.3 mph Pace: 9' 27 /mi Calories: 555 Notes Cool Down = .78mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 46 +0' 19 6.2 -0.2 -50 ft 2 9' 30 +0' 03 6.3 -0.0 +13 ft 3 9' 24 -0' 03 6.4 +0.0 -20 ft 4 9' 22 -0' 05 6.4 +0.1 +23 ft end 9' 14 -0' 13 6.5 +0.1 -30 ft Versus average of 9' 27 min/mile

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Crack of dawn just may be my thing

I slept in but still got a run in pretty early for me. I should have gotten up earlier. The whole running before dawn thing was working for me. Yes, it was humid, but I wasn't bothered by sunlight on top of it. Today was a different story. Any other time 69° is pretty decent weather. But when there's 90% humidity added to it, well it changes things. I'm just glad I didn't have to go any further. I am running (supposedly) 7 miles tomorrow though. I'm planning to get up at the crack of dawn. Who does that on a weekend? Well, either that or it will get skipped. Let's see how I make out. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 28 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -42 ft Date: 06/27/09 Up/Downhill: [+95/-137] Time: 08:00 AM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Partly Sunny 69 F temp; 90% humidity 69 F heat index; winds N 3 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:27:07 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 02 /mi Calories: 332 Notes Cool Down = .62mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 22 +0' 20 6.4 -0.2 -55 ft 2 9' 03 +0' 01 6.6 -0.0 -3 ft 3 8' 40 -0' 22 6.9 +0.3 +16 ft Versus average of 9' 02 min/mile

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What the?

I was gonna blog about something else. But now I'm trying to get my mind around Michael Jackson passing today. And let's not forget Farrah Fawcett this morning, and Ed McMahon earlier this week. It's just a sad week in Hollywood. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 06/25/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 05:15 AM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 67 F temp; 93% humidity 67 F heat index; winds E 3 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:26:29 Speed: 6.8 mph Pace: 8' 49 /mi Calories: 330 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 14 +0' 25 6.5 -0.3 +3 ft 2 8' 42 -0' 07 6.9 +0.1 0 ft 3 8' 32 -0' 17 7.0 +0.2 0 ft Versus average of 8' 49 min/mile

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5 Mile Recovery

Treated this like a recovery run. So my only condition was to go SLOW. Good, because my body didn't want to go any faster. And I feel so much better now too. Only 3 miles on the agenda tomorrow. I can handle that. There may be a lil bit of speed thrown up in there too. We shall see. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 06/24/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 05:01 AM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fog/Mist 65 F temp; 93% humidity 65 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:51:23 Speed: 5.8 mph Pace: 10' 16 /mi Calories: 563 Notes Cool Down = .11mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 52 +0' 36 5.5 -0.3 +3 ft 2 10' 29 +0' 13 5.7 -0.1 0 ft 3 10' 16 +0' 00 5.8 -0.0 0 ft 4 10' 03 -0' 13 6.0 +0.1 0 ft end 9' 41 -0' 35 6.2 +0.4 0 ft Versus average of 10' 16 min/mile

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Struggling

It all started with not wanting to get out of bed this morning. I'm so not a fan of the 4:30am thing. Let's see how much longer I keep this up. Anyway, the whole run was a struggle. I felt like I should have been walking the whole time. My body did not want to move. I was supposed to do some fartlek. But I decided that since I was beat and didn't want to be there anyway, I'd just try to get it done. Today's only condition was, "Don't start nothing you can't finish." That meant no walking (like I would have rather done) and no cutting the run short. Negative splits were not a necessity, but would be nice. So I finished with negative splits. And I actually sped up at the very end. That counts for fartlek, right? I did some yoga tonight. I'm definitely sore from this morning's run, but nothing serious. I needed to stretch it out. I may do some more yoga tomorrow too. I definitely need to get back in the habit. Maybe I'll keep up the early running thing so I'll have time for yoga later. We shall see. So I have 5 miles planned for tomorrow. Wait, let me edit that. I have 5 SLOW miles planned. And in preparation, I have a date with my bed. I'm beat. Night. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 06/23/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 05:02 AM Difficulty: 1.7 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast with Haze 65 F temp; 80% humidity 65 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 4.00 miles Time: 0:36:12 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 03 /mi Calories: 440 Notes Cool Down = .28mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 27 +0' 24 6.3 -0.3 +3 ft 2 9' 04 +0' 01 6.6 -0.0 0 ft 3 8' 56 -0' 07 6.7 +0.1 0 ft end 8' 44 -0' 19 6.8 +0.2 0 ft Versus average of 9' 03 min/mile

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Crack of Dawn Running

My alarm rang at 4:30 am. I was on the track 20 minutes later. It started out slow. Not sure how anyone can get their bodies to move that early in the morning. Hell, I surprised myself. Morning running is not my thing. And my splits were on point. I would say more, but I'm tired. And I still haven't eaten dinner. So I'm off to whip something up real quick. Oh wait, I almost forgot. I did yoga tonight. I did 30 minutes worth of the Hip Mobility routine. It was right on time. My hamstrings are tighter than usual. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow too, if I remember. Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +3 ft Date: 06/22/09 Up/Downhill: [+3/-0] Time: 04:50 AM Difficulty: 1.9 / 5.0 Weather: Rain/Overcast 65 F temp; 93% humidity 65 F heat index; winds Calm Performance Distance: 6.00 miles Time: 0:55:43 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 17 /mi Calories: 665 Notes Cool Down = .25mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 10' 00 +0' 43 6.0 -0.5 +3 ft 2 9' 33 +0' 16 6.2 -0.2 0 ft 3 9' 19 +0' 02 6.4 -0.0 0 ft 4 9' 18 +0' 01 6.4 -0.0 0 ft 5 8' 53 -0' 24 6.7 +0.3 0 ft end 8' 36 -0' 41 7.0 +0.5 0 ft Versus average of 9' 17 min/mile

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Nice and Easy

I wasn't sore from yesterday's hills. Go figure. So today was an easy stroll in the park. No pressure. The only condition I set for myself was negative splits. I passed with flying colors. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 27 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -30 ft Date: 06/17/09 Up/Downhill: [+134/-164] Time: 06:51 PM Difficulty: 1.7 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 62 F temp; 83% humidity 62 F heat index; winds SE 7 Performance Distance: 4.00 miles Time: 0:36:59 Speed: 6.5 mph Pace: 9' 14 /mi Calories: 442 Notes Cool Down = .45mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 38 +0' 24 6.2 -0.3 -55 ft 2 9' 23 +0' 08 6.4 -0.1 0 ft 3 9' 07 -0' 08 6.6 +0.1 +13 ft end 8' 49 -0' 24 6.8 +0.3 +13 ft Versus average of 9' 14 min/mile

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Three Hilly Miles Out and Back

I usually run in the park. But I chose a hilly out and back route today. Not that I was looking for hills. I just figured there is a better chance that I'd finish the mileage I set out to do if I know I have to make it back home. I'm not trying to walk all the way back. It's been a long while since I've run this route. The hills aren't as hard as I remember. I guess the two races I did in Central Park helped. I still was surprised about the negative splits though. The second half was harder than the first half. Just check the elevation chart. You'll see what I'm talking about. It's just that my first mile always feels slow and sluggish. And I'm sure that's because I'm not warmed up yet. But while running the first mile, I always feel like I can't possibly go any faster. Then at some point, the kinks magically work themselves out. Thank God for that. So tomorrow, I have 4 miles planned. I will definitely be in the park this time. I'm sure my legs can use a little break. Activity Route: My Hood Elev. Avg: 47 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -3 ft Date: 06/16/09 Up/Downhill: [+134/-137] Time: 06:55 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Mostly Cloudy 63 F temp; 75% humidity 63 F heat index; winds Vrbl 6 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:26:53 Speed: 6.7 mph Pace: 8' 57 /mi Calories: 331 Notes Cool Down = .15mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 17 +0' 20 6.5 -0.2 -23 ft 2 8' 59 +0' 02 6.7 -0.0 0 ft end 8' 36 -0' 21 7.0 +0.3 +20 ft Versus average of 8' 57 min/mile

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